1. Field of the Description
The present description relates, in general, to passenger boats such as round rafts and passenger control of boat motion, and, more particularly, to a passenger boat adapted to respond to passenger input, such as rotation of a wheel or pumping a pump handle, with rotation of the boat hull about a rotation axis.
2. Relevant Background
In amusement parks and many other settings, entertainment is provided that involves passengers riding on boats in still and moving water. For example, resorts may provide rafts, kayaks, and paddleboats to their guests to allow them to play in the water. In amusement parks, many rides have been designed and implemented that provide a river rafting experience that may simulate whitewater rafting. Passengers typically enter a boat such as a round raft in a station, and water flowing in a channel moves the passenger boats down the channel and may even cause the boat to flow over rapids and under waterfalls or spraying water.
In rafting rides and other applications, the passengers may be provided little or no control over movement of their boat. Typically, the passengers are not provided any paddles and cannot steer their boat as it moves in the flowing water. It is typically a random outcome that determines which passengers are drenched by a waterfall or positioned near a ride attraction such as a robotic character along the shore of the channel. While such randomness can be exciting to the passengers, there is a demand for water rides and boats for use in other entertainment settings that allow the passengers more control over the movement of the boat or the relative positioning of the passengers to the direction of travel such as to move one passenger into or out of the path of an upcoming waterfall or spray.